In a significant shift within the Indian bureaucracy, the Centre has appointed Arunish Chawla as the new Revenue Secretary in the Ministry of Finance. A 1992-batch IAS officer from the Bihar cadre, Chawla was previously serving as the Secretary of Pharmaceuticals and is now tasked with leading the Department of Revenue.
This appointment follows the recent vacancy in the position left by Sanjay Malhotra, who was appointed as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Additionally, Chawla will continue to hold the additional responsibility of Secretary of the Ministry of Culture until a permanent replacement is appointed, as per the order issued by the Ministry of Personnel.
In other notable changes, Amit Agrawal, the current CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), will replace Chawla as the Secretary of Pharmaceuticals. Further reshuffles have led to the appointment of Vineet Joshi, another 1992-batch IAS officer, as the Secretary of Higher Education. Joshi, previously the Chief Secretary of Manipur, brings with him a wealth of experience in education administration.
Rachna Shah has been named the new Secretary of the Department of Personnel, taking over from her prior role as the Secretary of Textiles, a position now held by Neelam Shammi Rao. Sanjay Sethi, an IAS officer from Maharashtra, will now serve as the Secretary of the Minorities Commission, while Neerja Sekhar, currently serving as Special Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, will take over as Director General of the National Productivity Council under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.
These appointments reflect the government’s strategic efforts to ensure experienced leadership in critical administrative roles, promoting efficiency and continuity in the functioning of key ministries and departments.
